Paxson's Back is a Pain

May 1988
The Jim Paxson Acquisition

BROOKLINE Jim Paxson had just come off the bench to spark a second-half surge that helped the Celtics polish off the Milwaukee Bucks late in the regular season.

Afterward, Bucks coach Del Harris said the former Portland captain -- who was traded in February from the Trail Blazers to the Celtics for Jerry Sichting -- was "the right guy on the right team and at the right time."

Now everything that seemed so right for the nine-year veteran has gone wrong.

It started last Friday when he woke up with a stiff and sore back and saw limited action that night in Game 2 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals against the Hawks. In Atlanta, he played just three minutes in Game 3 Sunday, then sat on the bench in uniform Monday night.

On Wednesday night, as the Celtics lost, 112-104, at Boston Garden, Paxson missed his second consecutive game.

He stayed in the dressing room, watched the game on television and stretched. Trainer Ed Lacerte worked on him at halftime and, while he felt a bit better, it wasn't good enough for him to play.

Yesterday as the team worked out at Hellenic College, Paxson continued his quest to get back in the lineup.

He passed up calisthenics, preferring to shoot layups and do some hamstring stretches.

At times, the 6-foot-6-inch Dayton alumnus simply stood with hands on hips, with an "I can't believe what's happening here" look on his face.

After practice, when all his teammates had left the building, Paxson and Lacerte had a half-hour therapy session, after which Paxson made a quick exit.

"I'll just have to find a way to play Friday," he said quietly. "I'm making progress. That's all I can say now."

Lacerte said there was some improvement in Paxson's condition -- decreased motion in two of his lower back joints -- "but he seems to be reacting to treatment. He'll give it a try tonight."

Coach K.C. Jones was cautiously optimistic that Paxson, one of the best in the NBA at moving without the ball, would give it the old college try in Boston's last-ditch stand at the Omni.

"He looked pretty good today," said Jones. "Maybe tonight he'll be feeling better and perhaps he'll go in Game 6."

It has to be a frustrating season for Paxson, who played just 17 games for Portland after injuring his toe, then thought he had found basketball heaven on the East Coast.

He is a proven, steady player who many people, including San Antonio coach Bob Weiss, thought would be the extra ingredient the Celtics needed to challenge for the title.

"He fits right into their mold. He's a Celtics kind of player," said Weiss.

But yesterday, as his teammates shot around after formal practice, Paxson sat in a corner of the gym, looking grim as he pedaled on the stationary bike.

"We got some excellent minutes out of Reggie Lewis, but we'd prefer to have Paxson out there," said assistant coach Jimmy Rodgers, "because he's showed his ability to come off the bench in the regular season and really give us size, shooting and scoring.

"Hopefully, we'll have him by tonight. But he has to be in a position where he feels he can do it. He just hasn't been able to."

Rodgers agreed with Harris' and Weiss' assessment of what Paxson brings to the team.

"You can't foresee an injury problem -- but all the things Del and Bobby said are true," said Rodgers. "He had fit in very nicely with our guard rotation and did some very good things. We could use some of those things now."

As Rodgers talked, Paxson, who usually stays on the floor to chat and shoot around with his teammates, walked briskly and silently to the locker room, staring straight ahead.

The disappointment was showing.

"You know he'd love to be out there, but that's out of our control and Jim's control," said Rodgers.

"Whether he'll be back in time for Game 6 is still an unknown."